Impressions of NiueAn index to the slide show
by Floor Anthoni (2004)
www.seafriends.org.nz/niuetx04/index.htm

This page contains the thumbnail images of
the 'Impressions of Niue' slide show which is available on CD. When viewed
from the CD, you can click on a link or a thumbnail to view the screen-sized
photo but these links do not work on Internet. The slide show gives impressions
of the underwater world, the magic of snorkelling and diving in ultra-clear
water, and the adventure of exploring the island's natural treasures. It
also gives impressions of Niue above water, the recent damage wrought by
Cyclone Heta, vistas of the island, villages and people and the natural
wonders that are there for all to see.To read more about Niue, its geography, history
and ecology, visit the extensive web site devoted to Niue: www.seafriends.org.nz/niue/index.htm.
To
go to the Seafriends home page: www.seafriends.org.nz/index.htm

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'

Impressions of Niue under waterNiue has had a thorough buffeting from Cyclone Heta in January 2004,
in fact perhaps the worst case recorded in living memory. Where people
thought to be safe from the sea, some 25m above sea level, this was proved
wrong, even though a disaster of this magnitude may never happen again.
Under water, the sea received an equal hiding resulting in totally barren
areas, completely stripped of life. But on the very sheltered Western
side of the island, cyclones are normal fare, occurring sufficiently frequently
to maintain a barren seascape. Yet these barrens are covered in fine algae,
growing at maximal rates for the dearth of nutrients dissolved in these
ultra-clear waters. The barrens maintain armies of grazers, from tiny snails
to nocturnal sea urchins and day-time grazing fish. One could say that
they maintain more life than the coral-clad slopes of the other side of
the island.

The other side, although not visited by the worst of cyclones, receives
continuous buffeting from large ocean swell, propelled by never-ending
South-East trade winds experienced as a refreshening cool sea breeze all
day and night. We ventured a dive there to bring back unique photos of
what the best of Niue under water hopes to offer. Diving here is quite
dangerous, being swept to and fro at three times walking speed, swinging
ten metres over sharp corals, ready to be ripped to shreds. Fortunately
this seascape can also be found in safer waters, near the Matavai Resort
(matavai= kingfish
Seriola sp).

The photos presented here were all taken in September 2004, about 9
months after Cyclone Heta struck. They hope to give you an impression of
what Niue looks like, both above and under water, and how it is recovering.
To inform yourself about Niue's history, geography, geology and much more,
visit the extensive section about Niue.

f044300: this red turfing seaweed
is highly successful but is somehow not eaten

f045033: near Alofi this white
mushroom seaweed can be found. It is not eaten by the many grazers.

f044036: inside a dark canyon
under a foam umbrella, coral can grow only slowly as also the red coralline
algae. Surgeonfish hang around to keep this environment clean.

f044832: a diver finds slow
growing coral under a roof window inside a cave. Such leaves of coral may
die back, then grow over the old structures again, for hundreds of years.

f044833: slow growing reddish
corals in a roof-lit cave. No signs of cyclone damage on these rather old
corals. Red leaf coral, Montipora sp.

f044835: where it becomes pitch
dark, the night shift sleeps like these red squirrel fish. This photo was
taken with preset distance and other settings, pointing the camera
into a dark hole. Sargocentron spiniferum

f044610: caves and canyons
are found everywhere, fun to explore. The ones near Alofi support growth
of green algae.

detailed corals

f043503: brown coral polyps
half extended by day to catch the most sunlight. Corals have brown algae
in their tissues.

f044204: at night the coral
polyps compete for space while trying to catch small plankton particles
(Favia sp)

f043505: during the day the
polyps hide deep between the hard protecting ribs

f043510: by day this encrusting
Porites
coral has its polyps withdrawn but bright sunlight penetrates. Both Porites
and Acropora are found in rockpools as they survive being out of
the water for a while.

f044208: detail of Acropora
coral shows complicated structure and small polyps. This coral follows
a complicated growth pattern by which it eventually forms a mushrooming
plate above other corals

f044926: detail of acropora
plate coral showing how it creates maximal surface area and space in-between
for its polyps.

f044211: a type of honeycomb
coral extends its tissues by day but retracts its tentacles. Favia sp.

f043535: the most prominent
fish of Niue is perhaps this tiny rock skipping blenny, living half out
of the water. It can move very fast bent in this u-shape which forms two
legs: head and tail. Istiblennius edentulus

f043815: this rock skipper
blenny was photographed above water, where it prefers to be. They are so
cute.
Istiblennius edentulus

f043821: two blennies side
by side, related to the rock skipper (male and female?). Little fish like
these may well be endemic, which means they are found nowhere else but
around Niue

f043826: two blennies of different
kind sharing a burrow to watch the photographer. They are so cute.

f043617: this purple cardinal
fish is out at night to feed on plankton but here it shies away from the
diver's torch

f044937: a rare peacock
flounder in Avatele harbour. There is little sandy habitat, but this flounder
changes its colours as it moves over various rock forms, and is fascinating
to watch. Here it has its swimsuit on, pale with blue flowers. Bothus
mancus (Brousonet, 1782)

f045132:
most fish are plant eaters, scraping algae off the coral rocks. Here one
sees various species of surgeonfish and sergeant-majors.

f220630: the most amazing
of all survivors is this little black urchin, living in the worst of the
wave wash, inside its burrows and trenches. With some difficulty also a
limpet (centre-right) and a spined snail (top-left) can be found.

f043600: this fluffy sea cucumber
comes out at night to lick the rocks clean (Stichopus horrens)

f043904: on of the most amazing
creatures is this large armoured sea cucumber, growing to almost one metre
long.

f044913:
a colony of needle urchins thriving in the worst of a rubble gully

f044133:
this tube snail lives in a hollow tube cemented to the rock. It catches
plankton but also casts a sticky net to be more effective. It then pulls
the net in and gobbles its own web inclusive of plankton particles that
stick to it

f044224:
the giant clam filters seawater for fine plankton. It is sought after because
it contains much tasty flesh which can be removed easily without removing
the heavy shell, locked into the coral matrix. Tridacna maxima

f044225:
the tridacna giant clam has a mantle with single-celled plants that grow
in sunlight. They provide the clam's main food. Tridacna maxima.

other invertebrates

f043710:
this dense feather star comes out by night where it seeks a position in
the current.

f043712:
detail of a feather star does not quite show its very fine tube feet

f044104:
this species of feather star does not move much and is out by day

f044105:
this feather star hides by day. By night it coils up in the glaring dive
light

f044106:
a feather star walking on all legs, pushing from behind and pulling from
the front, it walks towards bottom left. They can cover 2-5 metres a minute!

f045136:
this unassuming sea slug is the famous Spanish dancer with its wide wings
furled alongside its body. When it swims, it spreads its red wings with
white circles, a breathtaking view to behold. Unfortunately, this was the
last photo on film. Hexabranchus sanguineus

crustaceans

f043526:
the weak-shelled shore crab has a beautiful disruptive pattern. It moves
very fast with its long legs, both in and out of the water. Grapsus grapsus tenuicrustatus.

f043629:
the banded cleaner shrimp lives in pairs for life. During the day they
advertise themselves clearly underneath overhangs for their fishy clientele.
Stenopus
hispidus

f043630:
detail of a banded cleaner shrimp. These shrimps are very similar to those
found in NZ. It does not risk its life in search of food, because its food
is brought towards it as sea lice on the skins of fish.

f220937: before Cyclone Heta
these headlands were covered in dense scrub. Coral headlands extending
into coral flats are typical of Niue. The photo shows how far and high
the waves reached, removing all vegetation.

f220420: trees stripped and
palms lost but already young ones planted. But recovery from this serious
storm will take longer than usual.

f220421: the flame tree, ready
to burst into flower, is used to losing its foliage, and survived with
ease.

f220426: a summer-deciduous
shade tree survived but government buildings on the horizon perished. People
complained that some still good buildings were bulldozed too.

f220427: 30 metres of bush
perished and was bulldozed over, but shoots sprout from the rubble. The
bush will recover in due time.

f220431: ancient corals exposed
in solid limestone rock show erratic structure. Some corals are found upside
down and random rocks are embedded.

f220432: an erratic jumbled
rock structure due to millions of years of hurricanes. It resembles the
situation under water. The resulting rock is always porous.

f220433: deep chasms breaking
through the jumbled limestone. These enable large storms to deposit water
and debris far inland

f220434: rust waiting for the
ship that never comes. Ironically, the soils here are craving for these
minerals.

f220603: the tops of houses
destroyed by wind, their foundations by waves

f220604: houses that stood
many cyclones close to the sea, have been destroyed completely

f220605: the foundations and
polished cool living floors are all that is left. But in the background
a house survived. What lessons can be learnt?

f220606: all that's left of
the community centre and library, with its manicured gardens

f220925: the one-walled Mission
Church stands as a stern reminder of nature's forces

f221236: little is left of
the once prestigious Niue Hotel, its accommodation blocks and manicured
grounds

Impressions of the
coast

f220503: a blow hole at Anaana
Point sends waves 30m up in the air, and the sea does not even look wild.
The coast turned away from hurricanes experiences the constant fury of
large swells whipped up by never abating trade winds, which blow at a modest
breeze of 15-20 knot (30-40km/h)

f220505: beaches like this
at the Togulu sea track near Tamakautoga village, are rare. But the deep
water is still far out behind the smooth coralline ledge.

f220506: the sand is unpolluted
and so is the sea, with its crystal clear water but sandy beaches are very
small and few.

f220510: at high tide the trade
swell dumps and spills its froth over the coral platforms. At such times
the sea is dangerous, and this is the fate of the coast turned to the trade
winds

f220521: because of the steep
cliffs all around the island, sea tracks are important.

f220523: this purple-leafed
coastal lily is very hardy. It resists salt spray and can grow in next
to no soil at all.

f220527: the access road has
been destroyed which affects village life considerably. Where access to
the sea is very good, a road leads to a boat ramp.

f220528: this is one of three
places of good access to deep water, and the road has been destroyed. Notice
the canoes and palm leaves to cover them up with, against piercing sunlight.

f220533: these rocks at Limu
Pools were entirely covered in lush bush, which has been cleared by Heta.
The picnic tables (see the concrete blocks) set in an idyllic surround,
have also been washed away.

f220720: the entire coast is
surrounded by a coral flat like this. These flats do not consist of sharp
corals but they are made by coralline algae on which green and brown algae
grow. Notice the mysterious round rock pools and interconnecting channels.

f220820: outrigger canoes waiting
for calmer seas or for their owners to return from overseas.

f220712: in villages like Vaiea,
houses surround the village green with church and meeting hall. All villages
are aware of POPs (Persistent Organic Pollutants), shown in signs initiated
by the United Nations. However, POPs are the least of Niue's worries.

f220713: one of the many abandoned
houses. Four out of five houses are empty because their owners now live
in Auckland, Niue's biggest city. This house still has an asbestos roof,
which is now perceived a health hazard even though no asbestos related
sickness has been recorded.

f220714: information overload?
People leaving Niue is a huge problem. The remaining ones are mainly children,
the old and infirm, but few workers.

f220715: several varieties
of banana are grown on Niue but soils are fickle. It is not predictable
where they will grow best. Many grow 'wild' but are looked after and harvested
by villagers

f220729: Niue has large coloured
spiders, but this picture exaggerates

f220816: these trees on crutches
are mangrove trees. Did Niue once have mangroves? It once was an atoll
with a large lagoon, about one million years ago.

f220817: a stout mangrove tree
(Pandanus)
on stilt roots. Pandanus leaves are used for intricate weaving of detailed
baskets and mats.

f221323: a fishing trip begins
with a flight by crane, since all boats must be able to leave the sea.
Niue does not offer any boat shelter against hurricanes.

f221403: a good catch after
two hours of dawn trolling. Large tuna like these yellowfin and albacore
are found within 1km offshore.

life on land

f220829: coconut crabs are
threatened by being eaten and by being run over as this one we met on the
road by night. It has disappeared from many other islands. Birgus latro

f220831: already 30 years old,
this foot-sized crab may not escape the pot. But for now it is safe under
the admiring eyes of the photographer. Who could eat such a beautiful animal,
so unique in the animal kingdom?

f220832: the uga (pronounce
oongah) in a submissive pose. The coastal road running through its main
territory, is a death trap for many semi-coastal animals.

f220912: the coastal road also
threatens land crabs that play Russian roulette with motor cars. Fortunately
the locals drive slowly and they are adept at dodging them Geograpsus crinipes

f220914: a land crab considers
crossing the road. These land crabs depend on the sea to complete their
life cycle. Females deposit their eggs in the sea where the larvae develop
into young crabs before climbing on the land.

f220909: after rains, butterflies
descend on spongy leaves to drink water

places to see - Avaiki

f220612: through this impressive
cave one can reach the sea at Avaiki near Makefu village

f220613: impressive and colourful
dripstone formations but the sea stormed through to destroy all vegetation
inland. Notice the many colours of red, brown and green algae able to live
here because daylight enters from two sides.

f220614: the seaward side of
Avaiki cave is clearly subjected to storm damage.

f220616: the rock pools at
Avaiki are colourful and full of life. In the background the swimming pool
of kings

f220620: the main pool is like
swimming inside a cathedral. Crystal clear sea water overlaid by cool fresh
water. But no swimming is allowed here on Sundays.

f220622: spectacular colours
of encrusting life in the main pool of Avaiki

f220815: the end of the forest
is marked by a lonely coconut tree, warped by winds. From the top of the
ridge, one descends to the Alofi platform surrounding the whole
island.

f220732: the Togo track leads
through an alien landscape of razor sharp pinnacles where plants are forbidden.
These sharp rocks were formed by wind-driven saltwater raindrops excavating
ancient sharp coral organisms.

f220733: this is the landscape
that belongs to the coast facing away from cyclones. It consists of ancient
coral rocks in which the corals are still largely whole while pointing
upward.

f220811: the rocks here are
very sharp indeed due to ancient corals carved out by rain drops

f221523: raindrops excavated
this coral structure, as sharp as if it were still alive today

f221524: a million year old
coral, excavated by rain drops. The dark paint consists of lichens that
can live almost anywhere from the moisture and fertility in the air.

f221423: the first full containers
have been unloaded; from the ship into barges and from there onto land.
It can be a tricky operation in unfavourable conditions but today the sea
is unusually calm.

f221424: much depends on this
crane. Containers are loaded onto transporters by the wharf crane and must
be unloaded with this crane to free the transporters up again. If one breaks
down, the ship's departure is delayed.

a new future

f221006: will these girls have
babies in Niue or Auckland? Educated through a NZ education system with
English as main language, they are well prepared either way.

f221037: will these young lads
stay or leave? Niue needs fit men prepared to bolster the revival of Niue's
economy, but Auckland's way of life beckons.

f221401: the new fish factory
nearing completion but will there be enough fish and which men and women
will go out after them? Will there be ships suitable for this special task?
Will the catch reach distant shores?

f221203: a vanilla plantation
in the rain. Vanilla is an orchid, of which the valuable black dried seed
pods are used. Being a shade loving vine, it is trained on a living shade
tree and draped in loops around it.